Life is full of choices and paths not taken, so it isn't surprising that people sometimes feel regret over both the decisions they made and the ones they didn't. Regret can be an incredibly painful emotion.
Simply put, we regret choices we make, because we worry that we should have made other choices. We think we should have done something better, but didn't. We should have chosen a better mate, but didn't. We should have taken that more exciting but risky job, but didn't.
Regret can have damaging effects on mind and body when it turns into fruitless rumination and self-blame that keeps people from re-engaging with life. This pattern of repetitive, negative, self-focused ruminative thinking is characteristic of depression—and may be a cause of this mental health problem as well.
A study in the recent issue of the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin shows that about 90 percent of adults have deep regrets about their lives, and that the more they dwell on it the worse their quality of life tends to get.
1) “I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” 2) “I wish I hadn't worked so hard.” 3) “I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.” 4) “I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.” 5) “I wish I had let myself be happier” (p.
Regret can draw us to salvation. Paul tells us that “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10) and that it is God's kindness that brings us to repentance (Romans 2:4). Looking back at failures or missed opportunities should make us feel a sense of loss.
That research tells us that every healthy person has regrets, and that regrets make us human. Looking backward moves us forward. Regret can be destructive or instructive. We need the ability to regret our poor decisions – to feel bad about them – precisely so we can improve those decisions in the future.
The number-one regret people voice on their way out, according to Ware, is a big one. It's that they did not live a life true to themselves, but did what other people expected of them.
Borderline personality disorder is one of the most painful mental illnesses since individuals struggling with this disorder are constantly trying to cope with volatile and overwhelming emotions.
Guilt, Fishkin says, is associated with activity in the prefrontal cortex, the logical-thinking part of the brain. Guilt can also trigger activity in the limbic system. (That's why it can feel so anxiety-provoking.)
A sense of guilt is a common feature of PTSD, for a diverse range of reasons. Especially 'survivors' guilt'. Other variations include regrets about decisions you made, feeling responsible for the actions of others or guilt that your mental health affects loved ones.
“Regret is the most painful thing you can experience in life.” Joan Quilao - Solayao and 6,712 others like this. Yeah . And the most painful part is that you have to deal with it everyday .
